Surgical procedures often require the cutting or drilling of holes or channels into bone, teeth, or soft tissue, such as can be used for securing components made of metal or other materials to the bone of a patient. For example, these holes may be used to receive screws, sutures, or bone anchors, thereby allowing for implants or other devices to be secured to the bone, or to provide for reattachment of ligaments or tendons to a bone. A number of different surgical drilling devices are available for this purpose, many of which include a motor and a drill bit that can provide a hole of the desired depth and diameter. An example of such a device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,513 to Johnson et al. and International Publication No. WO97/32577 to Johnson et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein for all purposes. The Johnson et al. references describe a flexible cutting instrument that is formed through the use of a helically wound cable made of a metal such as nitinol or another superelastic alloy. In this device, the cable is bent to a predetermined bend radius and rotated in a direction that tends to tighten the helically wound fibers of the cable. Drilling with this device is performed while continuously maintaining the cutting means at least partially within the hole being drilled and advancing the cable through its holder. Devices of this type can provide sufficient drilling capabilities for many situations; however, there is a continued need for additional surgical drilling tools and methods for certain surgical procedures and situations.